L'Anse Creuse fills board vacancy

Charles Eslinger failed to win re-election to a seat on the L’Anse Creuse Board of Education last November by less than 1 percentage point.

On Monday, just six months later, he returned to the body when he was unanimously appointed to fill a vacancy.

“I enjoyed being on this board,” said Eslinger. “I think (a school board) is important. The youth of today run the world tomorrow.”

Eslinger served on the Board of Education from November 2007 until last December, when he finished third in a four-candidate field behind Mary Hilton and Sharon Ross. He finished 192 votes behind, or 0.6 percent, behind Ross for the second of two available seats.

On Monday, the six remaining members of the Board of Education interviewed five candidates night before settling on Eslinger for the appointment.

“All five candidates were remarkable people and would have brought something unique and special to the board,” said Kenneth Hoover, board president. “However, in the end, Mr. Eslinger’s previous experience is instrumental to the hard work that lies ahead.”

During his previous stint on the L’Anse Creuse Board of Education, Eslinger served on several committees, including Community Service Learning, Coordinating Council, School Improvement, Technology Planning and Energy and Transportation. He’s also been a member of the L’Anse Creuse Community Foundation since 1996.

Eslinger is father of two sons who graduated from the L’Anse Creuse district and continued on to earn college degrees.

Eslinger said his first task is to familiarize himself with any changes in state laws that have been implemented in the six months since he left.

A resident of Harrison Township for about a quarter of a century, Eslinger formally takes office Monday when he’ll be sworn in to replace Jeffrey DiPascale. DiPascale stepped down recently because of increasing demands of his employment.